#1 Planning for Improvement in Technology Integration into the Curriculum
National ISTE NETS*A 2. Digital Age Learning Culture. d. Model and promote the frequent and effective use of technology for learning.
District Tech Plan Objective (Alief ISD) 1.2.2. Deliver lessons that require students to apply technology tools in routine assignments.
AASL Standard Indicator 3.1.2 Participate and collaborate as members of a social and intellectual network of learners. 3.3.1 Solicit and respect diverse perspectives while searching for information, collaborating with others, and participating as a member of the community.
TEKS, ELA, Grade 8 110.20 (6) Comprehension of Literary Text/Fiction. Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of fiction and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. TEKS,Tech Applications, Grade 8126.16(2) Communication and collaboration. The student collaborates and communicates both locally and globally to reinforce and promote learning. The student is expected to: (A) create and manage personal learning networks to collaborate and publish with peers, experts, or others using digital tools such as blogs, wikis, audio/video communication, or other emerging technologies.
Description of Improvement: Teaching with Blogs
At the International School of the Netherlands, students in Grade 8 ELA record their responses to literature weekly in their Reading Journals. The eighth-grade teaching team will collaborate with the librarian to incorporate Web 2.0 technology into their 1:1 laptop program and create a new audience for their journal responses via the creation of student blogs andposting online on a weekly basis in place of traditional Reading Journals. In addition to receiving teacher feedback, the team will develop methods for students to evaluate and comment on each other's posts. Collaboration has been identified by the school curriculum leaders and administration as a 21st Century skill they would like to develop in their students. While some teachers have personal blogs, none of them have used them for instructional purposes before or taught students to use them. The majority of the students do not blog on a regular basis.
Eighth-grade classroom teachers will assign book readings according to schedule (for example, the standard is 40 pages of reading a week for the class novel, To Kill a Mockingbird). Teachers will provide various prompts each week for students to respond to in their blogs. This will require some lessons in how to form a short thesis statement and support an answer with evidence from the text or from real-life, depending on the prompt. In addition to making initial blog posts, students will learn to respond to their classmate’s work via comments on each other’s blogs. This will require lessons in how to evaluate another person’s work and how to give responses which contribute to the learning of others. After the posts and comments have been approved for posting by the teachers, the students will be asked to link their blogs via a newly created district Wikispace, giving them a larger audience.
Classroom teachers will continue to provide scaffolding and discussion centered on issues in the book while the librarian will teach students how to set up their blogs, create initial posts and comment. Classroom teachers will teach how to create constructive comments that go beyond stating the obvious as well as introduce the rules and expectations for netiquette. The teachers will assess and moderate initial postings while the librarian will monitor and assess comments.
Hurray for the team effort to integrate Web 2.0 tools into the literature curriculum and for developing evaluation tools to provide evidence of the impact on student learning outcomes. While librarians and teachers can teach netiquette equally well, it would be good for the librarian to have a part in this instruction as well. In fact, this topic is perfect for modeling with think-alouds to demonstrate proper and improper electronic communication. Keep the librarian's role strong throughout the initiative, particular.y in terms of assessment. It would be important for the librarian to know it what ways this initiative was or was not successful. Blogs may not be the best tool for discussion.
West, Kathleen. "Weblogs and literary response: Socially situated identities and hybrid social languages in English class blogs." Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy 51.7 (2008): 588-598. EBSCOhost Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Apr. 2012. (blogging, English class, collaboration)
#2 Planning for Improvement in Technology Integration into the Curriculum
National or State Alignment ISTE NETS-A
2.d. Model and promote the frequent and effective use of technology for learning.
District Tech Plan Objective
Alief ISD
1.2.2. Deliver lessons that require students to apply technology tools in routine assignments.
AASL Standard Indicator
3.1.2 Participate and collaborate as members of a social and intellectual network of learners.
3.3.1 Solicit and respect diverse perspectives while searching for information, collaborating with others, and participating as a member of the community.
TEKS
§113.19. Social Studies, Grade 7 (b) Knowledge and skills. (23) Social studies skills. The student uses problem-solving and decision-making skills, working independently and with others, in a variety of settings.
TEKS,Tech Applications, Grade 8126.16 (2) Communication and collaboration. The studentcollaborates and communicates both locally and globallyto reinforce and promote learning. The student is expected to: (A) create and manage personal learning networks to collaborate and publish with peers, experts, or others using digital tools such as blogs, wikis, audio/video communication, or other emerging technologies;
Description of Improvement
At the International School of The Netherlands, students in seventh-grade social studies courses complete a group-based project each term. The seventh grade teaching team will collaborate with the school librarian to give students the required lessons in order to document their collaborations appropriately using the class wiki and Cacoo. They will publish their process and their final product on the class wiki and their peers will comment on their work.
This collaborative process will fit into the scope and sequence of the social studies curriculum. The outline will be as follows: History (term 1), Geography (term 2), Government (term 3), Economics (term 4). Each project will consist of an inquiry/problem-based learning experience that requires collaborative thinking and problem solving. This thinking will be documented using multimedia tools and the process of sharing knowledge and coming to conclusions about the core classroom content will be assessed throughout the unit.
The classroom teachers will focus on the social studies content and the requirements regarding planning, graphic organizers and social studies content. Though the course content will change with each term, each collaborative plan will require students to work together in planning their work, working on tasks collaboratively creating and documenting a final product that will be critiqued, assessed and published by their peers in each term project (four per year).
The librarian will focus on the essential skills in creating a wiki profile, documenting collaborations through comments, discussions and communication pages and creating a graphic organizer with Cacoo. Since this is a continuous process, the librarian and classroom teacher will be co-teaching throughout these units.
This plan is strong in that it suggests a spiral curriculum in which learners will engage in inquiry/problem-based projects with increasing sophistication over the course of the year. It could be that four projects it too much for one year. Inviting the 8th-grade social studies teachers into the collaboration can spread out this in-depth learning and ensure continuity. Hurray for the attention to coteaching throughout the projects.
Pifarre, Manoli, and Judith K. Staarman. "Wiki-supportedCollaborative Learning in Primary Education: How a Dialogic Space Is Created for Thinking Together."International Society of the Learning Sciences, Inc (2011): 190+. Web. 12 Apr. 2012. <http://ezproxy.twu.edu:2183/content/yuk0064j5311148x/fulltext.pdf>. (Using wikis, collaboration, communication)
Smaldino, Sharon E., Deborah L. Lowther, and James D. Russell. "Connecting Learners Using Web 2.0 Tools."Instructional Technology and Media for Learning. Boston: Pearson, 2012. Kindle ebook file: ch 6. (collaboration, Web 2.0, technology)
#3 Planning for Improvement in Technology Integration into the Curriculum
National or State Alignment ISTE NETS-A
2. Digital Age Learning Culture c. Provide learner-centered environments equipped with technology and learning resources to meet the individual, diverse needs of all learners.
District Tech Plan Objective Alief ISD
1.1.4: Align technology-rich lessons with curriculum content.
AASL Standard Indicator
3.3.5 Contribute to the exchange of ideas within and beyond the learning community.
3.1.3 Use writing and speaking skills to communicate new understandings effectively.
(b) Knowledge and skills. (27) Listening and Speaking/Speaking. Students speak clearly and to the point, using the conventions of language. Students are expected to give an organized presentation with a specific point of view, employing eye contact, speaking rate, volume, enunciation, natural gestures, and conventions of language to communicate ideas effectively.
The student delivers the product electronically in a variety of media, with appropriate supervision. The student is expected to: (A) publish information in a variety of ways including, but not limited to, printed copy, monitor display, Internet documents, and video.
Description of Improvement: Creating and sharing Video Book Talks
At the International School of the Netherlands, students in Grade 6 Language Arts (LA) read a variety of literature from different genres throughout the year. Each quarter, students choose one of the books they have read and give a book talk about it for their Language Arts classmates. In order to share their reading recommendations with a wider audience, the LA teacher, librarian, and IT teacher are designing a unit to integrate technology into the LA curriculum by having students create video book talks (VBTs). Students will use the iMovie software on their laptops to create the VBTs and will then post them on the password-protected section of the school's website to share with the school community. To support this project and other activities that involve integration of video production, the principal recently purchased equipment for a green screen studio.
The sixth grade LA teacher will collaborate with the librarian and the Information Technology teacher to combine the skills of reading, writing, persuasive speaking, and video production. Before starting on the video component of the book talk, students will spend several weeks writing scripts that are both informative and persuasive. The LA teacher delivers lessons about writing topic sentences, supporting an opinion with evidence from the text, and creating a "hook." Once the scripts are approved, the librarian and LA teacher model clear and expressive speaking using some of the students' VBT scripts. Students practice by putting their scripts into http://cueprompter.com/ and adjusting the speed so that the pace feels natural. The more they practice, the more familiar they are with the text and the more "eye contact" they can make with the camera. By the time they are ready for filming they are able to speak comfortably and read a chosen excerpt from the book with expression.
When students are ready to film, the IT teacher explains the importance of having the lights positioned so that they cross each other and for the speaker to stand away from the green screen to minimize shadows. The librarian and LA teacher assist the students with filming. As students finish their filming, the IT teacher shows them how to convert and import clips, import a photograph, add titles and credits, and adjust sound. The IT teacher also shows the students how to adjust timing for the green screen effect and how to put their green screen footage on to their background photo.
Students locate backgrounds on websites with Creative Commons or public domain photos such as: http://flickrcc.bluemountains.net/flickrCC/index.php Finally, the LA teacher and librarian teach the students how to add the citations for their background photos and for their book to the credits at the end of the movie. Because of the green screen effect, students look like they have jumped into the setting of the book, which serves to connect viewers to the action. An example of a student-created VBT is available here..
The students will post the videos on the password-protected section of the school website. The principal will send the link to the parents in her weekly e-mail and encourage them to watch and comment on the students' book talks. This collaboration amongst the classroom teacher, librarian, and IT teacher is just one of many units that the school has planned for integrating video into subject area curricula.
The strength of this plan is the interdisciplinarity! (Yes, it is a word!) Students shine (as Kelsey does in the example) as they share their digital booktalks. To take this one step further (and with the customizable library collection circulation and management software) link the students' booktalks to the catalog. Yes, parents will also enjoy viewing (and commenting on?) these projects. Brava for including this attention to advocacy for the library program in this plan.
Smaldino, Sharon E., Deborah L. Lowther, and James D. Russell. "Enhancing Learning with Video" Instructional Technology and Media for Learning. 10th ed. Boston: Pearson, 2011. Kindle file. Loc 6693 of 9969. (Video storytelling, videography)
#1Planning for Staff Development for the Effective Use of Technology
National or State Alignment ISTE NETS*A
3. Excellence in Professional Practice Educational Administrators promote an environment of professional learning and innovation that empowers educators to enhance student learning through the infusion of contemporary technologies and digital resources. a. Allocate time, resources, and access to ensure ongoing professional growth in technology fluency and integration.
5. Digital Citizenship Educational Administrators model and facilitate understanding of social, ethical and legal issues and responsibilities related to an evolving digital culture. b. Promote, model and establish policies for safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology.
District Tech Plan Objective Alief ISD
1.1.4: Align technology-rich lessons with curriculum content.
AASL Standard Indicator
2.1.6 Use the writing process, media and visual literacy, and technology skills to create products that express new understandings.
SBEC for Teachers
Standard V. All teachers know how to plan, organize, deliver, and evaluate instruction for all students that incorporates the effective use of current technology for teaching and integrating the Technology Applications Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) into the curriculum.
5.7s Create project-based learning activities that integrate the Technology Applications TEKS into the curriculum and meet the Technology Applications TEKS benchmarks; 5.9s Select and use developmentally appropriate instructional practices, activities, and materials to improve student learning of the Technology Applications TEKS;
Description of Inservice: Integrating video production into the curriculum
To ensure that all teachers are aware of the impact video production can have on student learning and to make certain that teachers are comfortable with the hardware and software used for video production, the International School of the Netherlands will offer a series of professional development workshops for teachers. Many classroom teachers are not familiar with video production skills and have not previously used software such as iMovie in instruction. Throughout the school year, the librarian and IT teacher will offer professional development workshops related to video production.
These will include:
skills-based workshops about filming, lighting, sound, editing, special effects, and green screen techniques
educator-planning workshops focused on integrating video production into curricula of various disciplines
digital citizenship workshops focused on copyright and information privacy
The librarian will provide training to ensure that all teachers have experience setting objectives and addressing standards for teaching and assessing student videos. The initial workshops will be held during department meetings so that teachers will be able to focus on the standards of their own discipline when designing units that incorporate video. The first departments to be involved in these professional development inservices will be the Language Arts, EAL, and Modern Language departments. Since communication is key to the standards of these disciplines, video production activities will have an immediate impact on student learning in these courses.
Skills-based workshops will take place during early release days in September and October. The librarian and all three IT teachers will be available for trainings and teachers will be able to choose beginner, intermediate, or advanced workshops. A description of the learning objectives for each workshop will be available on the PD registration page of the school website. Teachers who have previous experience with video production will be able to enhance their skills and then focus on planning and curriculum development. Those who need additional work with skills specific to video production will continue to progress through the workshop series until they feel comfortable with the technology.
At the end of the first semester, the librarian will go to each department during a scheduled department meeting and help teachers assess the use of video production. Ongoing collaboration amongst the classroom teachers, the IT teacher, and the librarian will involve co-developing unit plans and assessments in addition to scheduling times that co-teaching can take place.
This staff development plan aligns well with the integration book talk integration plan. Teachers will be more engaged when they see an immediate use for this knowledge. ELA-R teachers can lead by sharing students' book talks with the faculty. Hurray for the IT-librarian collaboration. School librarians must reach out to IT people. Staff development is a great way build the IT department's understanding of coteaching and to affirm the librarians' technology skills and expertise in terms of integration.
Works Consulted:
Hakkarainen, Päivi. "Promoting Meaningful Learning through Video Production-Supported PBL." Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-based Learning 5.1 (2011): 34 - 53. Web. 15 Apr. 2012. <http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/ijpbl/vol5/iss1/4> (educational digital video, project-based learning)
Gromik, Nicolas. "Windows Movie Maker in the English as a Foreign Language Class."Innovate. Nova Southeastern University's Fischler School of Education and Human Services. Web. 15 Apr. 2012. <http://www.innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=2>. (integrating filmmaking into instruction, communication)
#2Planning for Staff Development for the Effective Use of Technology
National Alignment ISTE NETS*T 2. Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments. a. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.
District Tech Plan Objective (AISD) 1.2.2. Deliver lessons that require students to apply technology tools in routine assignments.
AASL Standard Indicator 3.1.2 Participate and collaborate as members of a social and intellectual network of learners. 3.3.1 Solicit and respect diverse perspectives while searching for information, collaborating with others, and participating as a member of the community.
SBEC for Teachers Standard V. All teachers know how to plan, organize, deliver, and evaluate instruction for all students that incorporates the effective use of current technology for teaching and integrating the Technology Applications Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) into the curriculum. 5.4s develop and implement, using technology applications, tasks that emphasize collaboration and teamwork among members of a structured group or project team.
Description of Inservice: Teaching with Blogs To follow up on the new Student Response Blogs being implemented in Grade 8 ELA at the International School of the Netherlands, it will be necessary to ensure that all ELA teachers know how to 1) teach students to create and post via blogs, 2) teach students how to comment constructively and ethically to each other’s blog posts, 3) provide feedback and assess on the student blogging experience.
The majority of the teachers has had experience in personal blogging, but fewer have ever officially implemented them into the classroom. The librarian will provide training to the teachers in order to ensure that each teacher has the same objectives and standards when teaching and assessing student blogs and will be able to give consistent feedback on the students' posts and comments. The training will be initiated at a full-staff meeting at the start of the year. Then the librarian will give small-group professional development on how teachers can develop methods for students to appropriately and critically comment on each other’s blog posts in order to ensure that collaborative learning takes place. During training, it may become evident that some teachers are more comfortable with the technology; therefore, those with more advanced skills will focus on planning and curriculum development, while those who need basic knowledge will be taught more about blogs.
The librarian will then go to each department during a scheduled department meeting and help teachers assess the initial use of Student Response Blogs in ELA. The ELA teachers and the librarian will discuss the unit plans and assessments and schedule times that the co-teaching can take place.
This is a brilliant plan! If I were your administrator, I would select a professional book title as the topic for the blog posts. This could be done in the summer before the new school year or in the previous spring before launching the blog integration in the fall semester. The principal would be delighted to collaborate with you on selecting a book for discussion - one that meets her/his objectives for teachers perhaps. (If I were your administrator, I might select one of these: Hamlet's Blackberry: A Practical Guide for Building a Good Life in the Digital Age by William Powers, In the Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr, or Free Culture: The Nature and Future of Creativity by Lawrence Lessig.)
West, Kathleen. "Weblogs and literary response: Socially situated identities and hybrid social languages in English class blogs." Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy 51.7 (2008): 588-598. EBSCOhost Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Apr. 2012. (blogging, English class, collaboration)
Technology Plan
Technology Planning Codes:ISTE NETS for Administrators (NETS*A)
ISTE NETS for Teachers (NETS*T)
Alief ISD (AISD)
American Association of School Libraries (AASL)
Texas State Board of Educator Certification (SBEC)
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)
#1 Planning for Improvement in Technology Integration into the Curriculum
ISTE NETS*A
2. Digital Age Learning Culture.
d. Model and promote the frequent and effective use of technology for learning.
1.2.2. Deliver lessons that require students to apply technology tools in routine assignments.
3.1.2 Participate and collaborate as members of a social and intellectual network of learners.
3.3.1 Solicit and respect diverse perspectives while searching for information, collaborating with others, and participating as a member of the community.
110.20
(6) Comprehension of Literary Text/Fiction. Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of fiction and provide evidence from text to support their understanding.
TEKS, Tech Applications, Grade 8126.16(2) Communication and collaboration. The student collaborates and communicates both locally and globally to reinforce and promote learning. The student is expected to:
(A) create and manage personal learning networks to collaborate and publish with peers, experts, or others using digital tools such as blogs, wikis, audio/video communication, or other emerging technologies.
At the International School of the Netherlands, students in Grade 8 ELA record their responses to literature weekly in their Reading Journals. The eighth-grade teaching team will collaborate with the librarian to incorporate Web 2.0 technology into their 1:1 laptop program and create a new audience for their journal responses via the creation of student blogs and posting online on a weekly basis in place of traditional Reading Journals. In addition to receiving teacher feedback, the team will develop methods for students to evaluate and comment on each other's posts. Collaboration has been identified by the school curriculum leaders and administration as a 21st Century skill they would like to develop in their students. While some teachers have personal blogs, none of them have used them for instructional purposes before or taught students to use them. The majority of the students do not blog on a regular basis.
Eighth-grade classroom teachers will assign book readings according to schedule (for example, the standard is 40 pages of reading a week for the class novel, To Kill a Mockingbird). Teachers will provide various prompts each week for students to respond to in their blogs. This will require some lessons in how to form a short thesis statement and support an answer with evidence from the text or from real-life, depending on the prompt. In addition to making initial blog posts, students will learn to respond to their classmate’s work via comments on each other’s blogs. This will require lessons in how to evaluate another person’s work and how to give responses which contribute to the learning of others. After the posts and comments have been approved for posting by the teachers, the students will be asked to link their blogs via a newly created district Wikispace, giving them a larger audience.
Classroom teachers will continue to provide scaffolding and discussion centered on issues in the book while the librarian will teach students how to set up their blogs, create initial posts and comment. Classroom teachers will teach how to create constructive comments that go beyond stating the obvious as well as introduce the rules and expectations for netiquette. The teachers will assess and moderate initial postings while the librarian will monitor and assess comments.
Hurray for the team effort to integrate Web 2.0 tools into the literature curriculum and for developing evaluation tools to provide evidence of the impact on student learning outcomes. While librarians and teachers can teach netiquette equally well, it would be good for the librarian to have a part in this instruction as well. In fact, this topic is perfect for modeling with think-alouds to demonstrate proper and improper electronic communication. Keep the librarian's role strong throughout the initiative, particular.y in terms of assessment. It would be important for the librarian to know it what ways this initiative was or was not successful. Blogs may not be the best tool for discussion.
Gardner, Traci. "Teaching With Blogs - ReadWriteThink." Homepage - ReadWriteThink. IRA/NCTE, 1 Jan. 2012. Web. 12 Apr. 2012. <http://www.readwritethink.org/professional-development/strategy-guides/teaching-with-blogs-30108.html>. (teaching with blogs, collaboration, social networking)
West, Kathleen. "Weblogs and literary response: Socially situated identities and hybrid social languages in English class blogs." Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy 51.7 (2008): 588-598. EBSCOhost Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Apr. 2012. (blogging, English class, collaboration)
#2 Planning for Improvement in Technology Integration into the Curriculum
ISTE NETS-A
2.d. Model and promote the frequent and effective use of technology for learning.
Alief ISD
1.2.2. Deliver lessons that require students to apply technology tools in routine assignments.
3.1.2 Participate and collaborate as members of a social and intellectual network of learners.
3.3.1 Solicit and respect diverse perspectives while searching for information, collaborating with others, and participating as a member of the community.
§113.19. Social Studies, Grade 7
(b) Knowledge and skills.
(23) Social studies skills. The student uses problem-solving and decision-making skills, working independently and with others, in a variety of settings.
TEKS, Tech Applications, Grade 8126.16
(2) Communication and collaboration. The studentcollaborates and communicates both locally and globallyto reinforce and promote learning. The student is expected to:
(A) create and manage personal learning networks to collaborate and publish with peers, experts, or others using digital tools such as blogs, wikis, audio/video communication, or other emerging technologies;
At the International School of The Netherlands, students in seventh-grade social studies courses complete a group-based project each term. The seventh grade teaching team will collaborate with the school librarian to give students the required lessons in order to document their collaborations appropriately using the class wiki and Cacoo. They will publish their process and their final product on the class wiki and their peers will comment on their work.
This collaborative process will fit into the scope and sequence of the social studies curriculum. The outline will be as follows: History (term 1), Geography (term 2), Government (term 3), Economics (term 4). Each project will consist of an inquiry/problem-based learning experience that requires collaborative thinking and problem solving. This thinking will be documented using multimedia tools and the process of sharing knowledge and coming to conclusions about the core classroom content will be assessed throughout the unit.
The classroom teachers will focus on the social studies content and the requirements regarding planning, graphic organizers and social studies content. Though the course content will change with each term, each collaborative plan will require students to work together in planning their work, working on tasks collaboratively creating and documenting a final product that will be critiqued, assessed and published by their peers in each term project (four per year).
The librarian will focus on the essential skills in creating a wiki profile, documenting collaborations through comments, discussions and communication pages and creating a graphic organizer with Cacoo. Since this is a continuous process, the librarian and classroom teacher will be co-teaching throughout these units.
This plan is strong in that it suggests a spiral curriculum in which learners will engage in inquiry/problem-based projects with increasing sophistication over the course of the year. It could be that four projects it too much for one year. Inviting the 8th-grade social studies teachers into the collaboration can spread out this in-depth learning and ensure continuity. Hurray for the attention to coteaching throughout the projects.
Pifarre, Manoli, and Judith K. Staarman. "Wiki-supported Collaborative Learning in Primary Education: How a Dialogic Space Is Created for Thinking Together."International Society of the Learning Sciences, Inc (2011): 190+. Web. 12 Apr. 2012. <http://ezproxy.twu.edu:2183/content/yuk0064j5311148x/fulltext.pdf>. (Using wikis, collaboration, communication)
Smaldino, Sharon E., Deborah L. Lowther, and James D. Russell. "Connecting Learners Using Web 2.0 Tools." Instructional Technology and Media for Learning. Boston: Pearson, 2012. Kindle ebook file: ch 6. (collaboration, Web 2.0, technology)
ISTE NETS-A
2. Digital Age Learning Culture
c. Provide learner-centered
environments equipped
with technology and learning
resources to meet the individual,
diverse needs of all learners.
Alief ISD
1.1.4: Align
technology-rich lessons
with curriculum content.
3.3.5 Contribute to the
exchange of ideas
within and beyond the
learning community.
3.1.3 Use writing and
speaking skills to
communicate new
understandings effectively.
§110.18. English Language Arts and
Reading Grade 6
(b) Knowledge and skills.
(27) Listening and Speaking/Speaking.
Students speak clearly and to the point,
using the conventions of language.
Students are expected to give an organized
presentation with a specific point of view,
employing eye contact, speaking rate,
volume, enunciation, natural gestures, and
conventions of language to communicate
ideas effectively.
§126.12. Technology Applications
(Computer Literacy), Grades 6-8.
(c) Knowledge and skills.
(11) Communication
The student delivers the product
electronically in a variety of media,
with appropriate supervision. The
student is expected to:
(A) publish information in a variety
of ways including, but not limited to,
printed copy, monitor display,
Internet documents, and video.
At the International School of the Netherlands, students in Grade 6 Language Arts (LA) read a variety of literature from different genres throughout the year. Each quarter, students choose one of the books they have read and give a book talk about it for their Language Arts classmates. In order to share their reading recommendations with a wider audience, the LA teacher, librarian, and IT teacher are designing a unit to integrate technology into the LA curriculum by having students create video book talks (VBTs). Students will use the iMovie software on their laptops to create the VBTs and will then post them on the password-protected section of the school's website to share with the school community. To support this project and other activities that involve integration of video production, the principal recently purchased equipment for a green screen studio.
The sixth grade LA teacher will collaborate with the librarian and the Information Technology teacher to combine the skills of reading, writing, persuasive speaking, and video production. Before starting on the video component of the book talk, students will spend several weeks writing scripts that are both informative and persuasive. The LA teacher delivers lessons about writing topic sentences, supporting an opinion with evidence from the text, and creating a "hook." Once the scripts are approved, the librarian and LA teacher model clear and expressive speaking using some of the students' VBT scripts. Students practice by putting their scripts into http://cueprompter.com/ and adjusting the speed so that the pace feels natural. The more they practice, the more familiar they are with the text and the more "eye contact" they can make with the camera. By the time they are ready for filming they are able to speak comfortably and read a chosen excerpt from the book with expression.
When students are ready to film, the IT teacher explains the importance of having the lights positioned so that they cross each other and for the speaker to stand away from the green screen to minimize shadows. The librarian and LA teacher assist the students with filming. As students finish their filming, the IT teacher shows them how to convert and import clips, import a photograph, add titles and credits, and adjust sound. The IT teacher also shows the students how to adjust timing for the green screen effect and how to put their green screen footage on to their background photo.
Students locate backgrounds on websites with Creative Commons or public domain photos such as: http://flickrcc.bluemountains.net/flickrCC/index.php Finally, the LA teacher and librarian teach the students how to add the citations for their background photos and for their book to the credits at the end of the movie. Because of the green screen effect, students look like they have jumped into the setting of the book, which serves to connect viewers to the action. An example of a student-created VBT is available here..
The students will post the videos on the password-protected section of the school website. The principal will send the link to the parents in her weekly e-mail and encourage them to watch and comment on the students' book talks. This collaboration amongst the classroom teacher, librarian, and IT teacher is just one of many units that the school has planned for integrating video into subject area curricula.
The strength of this plan is the interdisciplinarity! (Yes, it is a word!) Students shine (as Kelsey does in the example) as they share their digital booktalks. To take this one step further (and with the customizable library collection circulation and management software) link the students' booktalks to the catalog. Yes, parents will also enjoy viewing (and commenting on?) these projects. Brava for including this attention to advocacy for the library program in this plan.
"Instructional Strategies Online - Book Talks." Online Learning Centre. Web. 14 Apr. 2012. <http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/de/pd/instr/strats/booktalks/index.html>. (sharing ideas, publishing in a variety of formats)
Smaldino, Sharon E., Deborah L. Lowther, and James D. Russell. "Enhancing Learning with Video" Instructional Technology and Media for Learning. 10th ed. Boston: Pearson, 2011. Kindle file. Loc 6693 of 9969. (Video storytelling, videography)
ISTE NETS*A
3. Excellence in Professional Practice
Educational Administrators promote
an environment of professional learning
and innovation that empowers educators
to enhance student learning through the
infusion of contemporary technologies
and digital resources.
a. Allocate time, resources, and
access to ensure ongoing professional
growth in technology fluency
and integration.
5. Digital Citizenship
Educational Administrators model and facilitate
understanding of social, ethical and legal issues and
responsibilities related to an evolving digital culture.
b. Promote, model and establish policies for safe,
legal, and ethical use of digital information and
technology.
Alief ISD
1.1.4: Align
technology-rich lessons
with curriculum content.
2.1.6 Use the writing
process, media and visual
literacy, and
technology skills
to create products
that express new
understandings.
Standard V. All teachers know
how to plan, organize, deliver,
and evaluate instruction for all
students that incorporates the
effective use of current technology
for teaching and integrating the
Technology Applications
Texas Essential Knowledge and
Skills (TEKS) into the curriculum.
5.7s Create project-based learning activities
that integrate the Technology Applications
TEKS into the curriculum and meet the
Technology Applications TEKS benchmarks;
5.9s Select and use developmentally appropriate
instructional practices, activities, and materials
to improve student learning of the
Technology Applications TEKS;
To ensure that all teachers are aware of the impact video production can have on student learning and to make certain that teachers are comfortable with the hardware and software used for video production, the International School of the Netherlands will offer a series of professional development workshops for teachers. Many classroom teachers are not familiar with video production skills and have not previously used software such as iMovie in instruction. Throughout the school year, the librarian and IT teacher will offer professional development workshops related to video production.
These will include:
The librarian will provide training to ensure that all teachers have experience setting objectives and addressing standards for teaching and assessing student videos. The initial workshops will be held during department meetings so that teachers will be able to focus on the standards of their own discipline when designing units that incorporate video. The first departments to be involved in these professional development inservices will be the Language Arts, EAL, and Modern Language departments. Since communication is key to the standards of these disciplines, video production activities will have an immediate impact on student learning in these courses.
Skills-based workshops will take place during early release days in September and October. The librarian and all three IT teachers will be available for trainings and teachers will be able to choose beginner, intermediate, or advanced workshops. A description of the learning objectives for each workshop will be available on the PD registration page of the school website. Teachers who have previous experience with video production will be able to enhance their skills and then focus on planning and curriculum development. Those who need additional work with skills specific to video production will continue to progress through the workshop series until they feel comfortable with the technology.
At the end of the first semester, the librarian will go to each department during a scheduled department meeting and help teachers assess the use of video production. Ongoing collaboration amongst the classroom teachers, the IT teacher, and the librarian will involve co-developing unit plans and assessments in addition to scheduling times that co-teaching can take place.
This staff development plan aligns well with the integration book talk integration plan. Teachers will be more engaged when they see an immediate use for this knowledge. ELA-R teachers can lead by sharing students' book talks with the faculty. Hurray for the IT-librarian collaboration. School librarians must reach out to IT people. Staff development is a great way build the IT department's understanding of coteaching and to affirm the librarians' technology skills and expertise in terms of integration.
Hakkarainen, Päivi. "Promoting Meaningful Learning through Video Production-Supported PBL." Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-based Learning 5.1 (2011): 34 - 53. Web. 15 Apr. 2012. <http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/ijpbl/vol5/iss1/4> (educational digital video, project-based learning)
Gromik, Nicolas. "Windows Movie Maker in the English as a Foreign Language Class."Innovate. Nova Southeastern University's Fischler School of Education and Human Services. Web. 15 Apr. 2012. <http://www.innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=2>. (integrating filmmaking into instruction, communication)
#2 Planning for Staff Development for the Effective Use of Technology
ISTE NETS*T
2. Design and Develop Digital Age Learning
Experiences and Assessments.
a. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that
incorporate digital tools and resources to promote
student learning and creativity.
(AISD)
1.2.2. Deliver lessons that require students to apply technology tools in routine assignments.
3.1.2 Participate and collaborate as members of a social and intellectual network of learners.
3.3.1 Solicit and respect diverse perspectives while searching for information, collaborating with others, and participating as a member of the community.
Standard V. All teachers know how to plan, organize, deliver, and evaluate instruction for all students that incorporates the effective use of current technology for
teaching and integrating the Technology Applications Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) into the curriculum.
5.4s develop and implement, using technology applications, tasks that emphasize
collaboration and teamwork among members of a structured group or project
team.
To follow up on the new Student Response Blogs being implemented in Grade 8 ELA at the International School of the Netherlands, it will be necessary to ensure that all ELA teachers know how to 1) teach students to create and post via blogs, 2) teach students how to comment constructively and ethically to each other’s blog posts, 3) provide feedback and assess on the student blogging experience.
The majority of the teachers has had experience in personal blogging, but fewer have ever officially implemented them into the classroom. The librarian will provide training to the teachers in order to ensure that each teacher has the same objectives and standards when teaching and assessing student blogs and will be able to give consistent feedback on the students' posts and comments. The training will be initiated at a full-staff meeting at the start of the year. Then the librarian will give small-group professional development on how teachers can develop methods for students to appropriately and critically comment on each other’s blog posts in order to ensure that collaborative learning takes place. During training, it may become evident that some teachers are more comfortable with the technology; therefore, those with more advanced skills will focus on planning and curriculum development, while those who need basic knowledge will be taught more about blogs.
The librarian will then go to each department during a scheduled department meeting and help teachers assess the initial use of Student Response Blogs in ELA. The ELA teachers and the librarian will discuss the unit plans and assessments and schedule times that the co-teaching can take place.
This is a brilliant plan! If I were your administrator, I would select a professional book title as the topic for the blog posts. This could be done in the summer before the new school year or in the previous spring before launching the blog integration in the fall semester. The principal would be delighted to collaborate with you on selecting a book for discussion - one that meets her/his objectives for teachers perhaps. (If I were your administrator, I might select one of these: Hamlet's Blackberry: A Practical Guide for Building a Good Life in the Digital Age by William Powers, In the Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr, or Free Culture: The Nature and Future of Creativity by Lawrence Lessig.)
West, Kathleen. "Weblogs and literary response: Socially situated identities and hybrid social languages in English class blogs." Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy 51.7 (2008): 588-598. EBSCOhost Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Apr. 2012. (blogging, English class, collaboration)